Eddie Yagin details scary medical situation, recovery plans

In a sport as violent as Mixed Martial Arts it’s fairly common for a fighter to seek medical attention for a variety of reasons, such as a cut needing stitches, a broken bone, or a torn ligament. However, in the case of UFC featherweight Eddie Yagin, a severe headache and some vomiting after a regular day of training landed him in a doctor’s office earlier this month.

As innocent as the afflictions may sound on the surface, they turned out to be symptoms of an extremely serious issue, as Yagin was found to be suffering from a swollen brain and spent some time in the hospital as a result. The 33-year old recently offered some insight into the situation where he also provided a timetable for his return to the ring.

“There was no devastating blow. I didn’t get knocked down. I didn’t get knocked out. It was my everyday routine, just getting ready for the fight,” explained Yagin of his condition in a conversation with Sports Illustrated, adding that it could have cost him career – maybe more – if he hadn’t gotten it checked out when he did. “I’ve had so many injuries in my life that I wasn’t scared. The only thing I was scared about was surgery…of getting drilled into my skull to drain the blood. That was the part that told me that if I had to do that, it would be the end of my fight career for sure.”

Fortunately, Yagin has since recovered and is back home resting. Though he won’t be taking to the Octagon anytime soon, the 16-5-1 fighter expects to be back in action by mid-2013.

“I’m about six months away from anything strenuous, because the last thing I want to do is make it worse. I want to fully recover,” said Yagin, mentioning he’d mistakenly rushed back to the gym after previous injuries and couldn’t risk it this time considering the severity of his most recent health-related woe.